What Could Have Been
by rainbowlollipops15
Summary: A new beginning, or so they thought... Hermione/Ron, set to Ed Sheeran's 'Small Bump'.


**************TRIGGER WARNING***********************

**SUBJECT OF MISCARRIAGE: THIS TOPIC MAY ACT AS A TRIGGER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE HAD AN EXPERIENCE RELATED TO THIS SUBJECT**

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**Chapter 1**

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_You're just a small bump unborn, in four months you're brought to life,_

_You might be left with my hair, but you'll have your mother's eyes,_

_I'll hold your body in my hands, be as gentle as I can,_

_But for now you're scan of my unmade plans_,

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"I'm pregnant".

Hermione watched Ron from her stance in the doorway, her worried brown eyes watching for her husband's reaction. Resting against the headboard, Ron had been idly flicking through today's Daily Prophet when his wife's words registered, and he froze. There was a moment of tense, anxious silence before Ron moved, his long limbs fighting off the tangled sheets, nearly tripping in his haste to get to Hermione. He stopped dead in front her, taking in the nervousness of her flickering eyes as she searched his, looking for a joy to match the one that was stealing the breath from her lungs. Their eye contact broke briefly as Ron looked down to see her stomach, a moment ago unremarkable, covered as it was by a faded blue singlet, but now the centre of both of their worlds. When Ron's gaze returned to meet his wife's, pure joy shone from every feature, and she inhaled sharply as he reached out and crushed her to him. A moment later, and much too soon for Hermione's taste, he let go with a gasp of his own.

"Wait, I didn't hug too hard did I? What if I hurt the baby? Can you hurt babies by hugging too -"

Ron was cut off as Hermione yanked on his t-shirt and silenced him with a kiss which Ron immediately returned, his large hands coming up to cradle Hermione's face. They broke only to breathe and even then they didn't go far, resting their foreheads against each other as they smiled.

When Hermione made a move to return to their bed, Ron remained frozen as reality dawned. A frown appeared of his face, and he began muttering to himself as he took a step in one direction, and then another as a to-do list began compiling at a rapid rate in his heard. "I should Floo-call Mum...no wait, get Hermione a jumper first, she shouldn't get cold...plus I need to borrow that pregnancy book Ginny was going on about...and we need a crib". It wasn't until Hermione took both of his hands in hers and placed them on her belly that Ron snapped out of it.

"In answer to your earlier question, no you can't harm the baby by hugging too hard" Hermione said calmly, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Right now, he or she is minuscule, plus they're too well-protected to be hurt that easily. As for everything else, we have approximately nine months to research and prepare, so at the moment, all we need to be doing is going back to bed".

Curling under the still-warm sheets, the couple drew each other close with an ease that bespoke of many years of practice. Her legs entwined with his, her arm resting on his chest and her head placed just under his shoulder so that his heartbeat thumped reassuringly in her ear.

A comfortable silence fell, only to be broken a few minutes later by Ron. "When did you find out?"

"On Friday morning I realised I was late - it's been so crazy lately that I lost track - and so I cast the charm. I did it three times and it kept saying positive, so I managed to see a Healer yesterday who'd had a last-minute cancellation. I wanted to be sure before I said anything and then I was sure and I had to figure out how to tell you. And since you got home so late last night..." Hermione's voice trailed off, and Ron looked down to see a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. "I was going to tell you over dinner tonight, I didn't plan on blurting it out like that".

Ron's opened his mouth to answer, but Hermione bet him to it, nervousness driving her words. "I know that we were planning on waiting a few more years, for you to get settled as a fully-fledged Auror and for me to finish over-hauling the Department...". Once again her voice trailed off and when it began again, it was somewhat subdued. "But now that it has happened...it's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Yes". Ron's response was immediate. "The timing isn't great, I'll admit, but we can make it work. I know we can". Ron paused, then grinned as a new thought came to him. "I hate to break it to you Hermione, but I'm pretty sure this kid is gonna be a ginger". Hermione's soft laugh spurred him on, as usual. "Seriously, the only Weasley in recent memory who hasn't been a redhead is Victoire; I'm pretty sure it takes something as powerful as Veela blood to escape the curse ".

"It's hardly a curse Ron" Hermione laughed. "On the contrary it's quite lovely. A real curse is having hair like mine", she said ruefully as she fingered her somewhat matted curls. "You know I have to use a heavy-duty charm on it every morning for it to look somewhat presentable". Ron reached up to replace her fingers with his own, his fingers gliding down the strands, his touch raising goosebumps on Hermione's skin.

"I love your hair", Ron replied softly, "our baby would be lucky to have hair like it. Though I really want them to have your eyes. That would be perfect".

Silence fell once more, with Ron and Hermione both lost in their daydreams, each imagining a child who had their mother's eyes and their father's hair.

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Just some timeline details

\- There's no mention of Hermione and Ron having a miscarriage in canon. I decided that for this fic, it would work best for it to happen before either of their actual children were born. Since Rose is born in 2006, I've set this fic in 2004. Hermione is 25 and Ron is 24.

\- At this point in time (as decided by me, as there wasn't enough detail in canon), Hermione is working in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Her move to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is later.

\- Ron, having been 18 during the Battle of Hogwarts, went to work with George at the joke shop (for what I decided to be 3 years). So at 22, he entered the Auror program and now after two years of training/being on probation, he's fully qualified.

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Hope you enjoyed it! Second chapter will be coming soon. Comments, compliments and criticisms are all appreciated, so please review.


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